Towing device with safety device against capsizing for tugs



March 15, 1927. 1;sz1,1 68" T. KLUYER TOWING DEVICE WITH SAFETY DEVICE AGAINST CAPSIZING FOR 'IUGS Filed April 12. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet].

T. KLUVER March 15, 1927.

TOWING DEVICE WITH- SAFETY DEVICE AGAINST CAPSIZING FOR TUGS Filed April 12; 1925 2 Sheets-SheetZ n enfor Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

hair-an era-res essence kiniv'nn, or densities, seem-1w.

'afowm'e 1mm wITn'sAFETY ionvr'cn 'chrsrzrno roe TUGS.

Application mean-prime, 1'92'6,Seria1*N-o. 101,474, and in Germany February 17, 1926.

This invention relates to the towing device of known type arranged in well known manner upon tugs (steam-tugs, motor-tu s). The towing device consists mainly of .the towing how with guide how and the towing hook. The invention relates more particularly to a safety device connected with thistowing device and designed to efiect in any case in time an unhooking of the towinghawser as soon as the tug-hoat'assumefs when towing an inclined position in longitudinal or transverse direction which, if it becomes excessive, might cause capsizing. The danger of capsizing is specially imminent if the tug-boat, when towing, stands transversely to the ftowing-hawser or if the tugged hoat produces-suddenly an additional pulling force for which the tug-boat is not prepared. I g

All these danger-moments are neutralized, according to the invention, by a safety loow, adapted to be adjusted in vertical direction, placed over the guide how of the towing hook, so that, if the tug-boat assumes an inclined position, the towing hook hfears against this safety how and the towinghawser is forced to slip of]? the towing hook it the inclination of the tug boathecomes greater, the tagged hoa-t being thus liberated from the tu-g hoat. 'As at this occasion the more or less inclined position of the towinghawser, ;i. e. the towing-hawser-angle situ ated in the vertical plane which is dependent on the height of the boat in tow, and on the distance between this boat and the tugboat, has to be taken in'to c0nsiderat-ion', the safety device must be fitted with a device by means of which the actual greatness of the towinghawser-an-gle can be ascertained in orderv to adjust according to this angle the. distance between the guide how and the safety how.

An embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which. i

' Fig. 1 shows in side elevation the towingdevice and the safety device.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Figs. 3 and 3* show the means of fixathan for the safety bow. V

Fig. at illnst-rittes' the means for ascertaining the towing hawser angle.

Fig. 5 shows in side elevation how the complete device is mounted on a tug-boat.

6 illustrates how the safety device operates.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of thesafety :device.

The towing-how 1 and the guiding, or supporting-bow 2 are of known construction fa-nd mounted as usual on the rear end of the boiler-shaft 3 on the-tugboat. The towingh'ook a mounted upon the towing-how and c'lida'bly resting upon the guiding how, said towing hook being either a simple open hook as shown in the drawing or a springhook, is adapted to oscillate in vertical direction on the towing-how and move-along the same in the horizontal plane from one side to the other. The towing-hawsei. 5 attached to the looat .in tow is hooked over the towing hooker. which adjusts itself automatic'ally in the corresponding; direction.

All these elements are well known. According to the invention a safety how adjustable in yerticaldirection is arranged over the guiding-bow 2 said safety how being preferably of the same shape and size as the guiding how so that, if the towinghook moves from one side to the other and ifjthe safety how is stationary, the distance between the axis of the towing hook eye and the lower edge of the safety how. remains constant. Owing to this arrangement the towing hook can, in any position whatsoever, h'e oscillated in upward direction only by a certain angle around the axis of its eye.

The angle of vertical oscillation of the towing hook istherefore, for anyposition of the safety how in vertical direction, of constant amplitude, the oscillating movement, being limited below hy the guide how Qand above hy 'the safety how 6. llhe angle of vertical oscillation of the towing hook is adjusted specially for each angle of towing as it depends on the angle of the towing- .hawser as will he clearly understood from the description of the "operation. g g

In order to vary the distance between the safety how "Sand the guide how 2 and in o r der to securely fix saidcsafety bow in the ad- Ejusted position the safety how has at each end-- two vertical strong supporting arms 7 slidable in two or more guide cheeks 8 arranged at either side on the boiler shaft 3. On each supporting arm 7 a rack 9 is fixed which gears with a pinion 10. The two pinions 10 are keyed on a common axle 11 which has a crank handle 12 by the rotation of which the safety bow can be raised or lowered. Each supporting arm 7 has two vertical slots 13 of conical cross section with which engage stop bolts 14 of conical cross section and screwed into a threaded bore in a guide check 8. "he stop bolts 14 have each a handle 15.

The safety how can therefore easily be fixed in any adjusted position.

The pinions 19 may also have stopping devices, for instance locking pawls on axle 11 or stop screws in the bearings 16.

The operation of the safety device and the meaning of the graduations shown on the towing hook 4 and on the one supporting arm 7 are as follows If the tug-boat is in the normal horizontal position the hooked on towing-hawser 5 1S either in horizontal position with regard to the boat in tow or more 01' less inclined. The shorter the distance and the greater the height of the boat in tow the greater will be the towing-hawser angle 03 (Fig. 7, position I). In this normal position the towinghawser must never unhook and for this reason the straight nose 1'? of the towing hook forms an acute angle with the shaft of the book. On the other hand the towing hook must have sutiicient play for oscillating in vertical direction and the safety bow 6 must consequently be adjusted so that its lower edge is at the normal towing state at a certain distance above the towing hoox (Figs. 5 and 7 Only if the tug-boat has a certain inclination, for instance 25, at which the danger of capsizing exists, the towing-haw ser must unhook. The tug-boat must therefore incline at an angle 'y before the safety how 6 comes in contact with the towing hook 1 but even in this case no unhooking takes place as the towing-hawser 5 and the nose 17 of the hook stand at an obtuse angle to the one with regard to the other (Fig. 7 position II). \Vhen the tug-boat inclines more, for instance at the angle a, the safety how 6 presses the towing hook down so that towing-hawser and shaft of the towing hook do no longer form a straight line and the towing-hawscr is made to slip out of the towing hook by the action of the pulling force (Fig. 7, position III and Fig. 6).

The sum of the two angles 7 and 2 is always constant as it corresponds to the maximum admissible angle of inclination of the tug-boat at which the unhooking of the towing-hawser must take place. This angle of inclination alone would therefore require only a permanently equal distance between the safety bow 6 and the guiding bow 2, if

the variable angle at of the towing-hawser had not to be taken into consideration. For every degree of which the angle of the towing-hawser increases the said distance must be increased also. The increasing of dis tance which becomes necessary from degree to degree is marked on the graduation 18 and it is indicated by a hand 19 connected with the supporting arm 7. The figures on this graduation correspond further to the figures of the degrees of the angle of the towing-hawser. In order to be able to as certain the same directly an angle-meter 20 is mounted on the eye of the towing book so that it oscillates with the same, a small longitudinal groove 21 being cut into the upper surface of the towing bow 1. Owing to this groove every angular position of the towing hook, i. e. the angle of the towing hawser can be read at any time on the angle meter if the hawser is stretched, as can be easily seen from Fig. 4. The angle must evidently be read if the tug-boat is in the normal position, and care has to be taken that the towing book does not bear onto the safety bow.

The operation of the safety device is briefly as follows The towing hawser 5 attached to the boat to be towed is hooked by means of its eye 22 onto the towing hook and stretched by the tug-boat so that the angle of the towing-hawser can be read on the anglemeter 20. The safety bow 6 is then adjust-ed by means of the crank handle to such a osition that the hand 19 indicates on the graduation 18 the same number of degrees as indicated by the angle-meter 20. In this position the necessary distance between safety bow 6 and guide bow 2 exists which takes into consideration the existing angle of the towing-hawser and corresponds to the maximum angle of inclination of the tug-boat which is admissible. lVhen the inclination of the tug-boat in the direction of the towing-hawser becomes equal to this angle the towingdiawser will unhook automatically owing to its position with regard to the nose 17 of the hook at an acute angle, the towing-hawser being along the board or perpendicular to the board of the tug-boat. Capsizing of the tug-boat by the pulling towing-hawser is therefore avoided in any case. It has however to be remarked that the towing-hooks to be used in connection with the safety device must always have a nose 1? which extends on the inside in a straight: line and as smoothly as possible in order that unhooking at the maximum admissible angle of inclination of the tug-boat is ensured.

As regards the construction of the several elements, for example as regards the profile of the cross section of the bow and of the supporting arms and as regards special stifflltl eningor supporting-stays of the safety bow modifications are possible, and therefore it is not the intention to limit the invention to the form of construction shown. The safety device may be provided also on towingdevices which are not mounted in the boiler shaft but on separate towing frames.

I claim 1. A towing device on tug-boats with safety device against capsizing, comprising in combination with a towing bow, a towing hawser, a guiding bow, a towing hook having a nose which extends in a straight line, a safety bow adjustably arranged above said guide bow and curved in accordance with the horizontal path of movement of said towing hook and designed to press upon said towing hook it the tugboat stands at a predetermined angle of inclination and which presses said towing hook down as soon as this angle of inclination is exceeded in the direction of said stretched towing hawser said nose of said towing hook assuming with regard to said towing hawser a position at such an acute angle that said towing hawser is automatically unhooked from said hook by the action of its pulling force.

2. A towing device on tug-boats with safety device against capsizing, comprising in combination with a towing bow, a towing hawser, a guiding bow, a towing hook having a nose which extends in a straight line, a safety bow adjustably arranged above said guide how and curved in accordance with the horizontal path of movement of said towing hook and designed to press upon said towing hook if the tug-boat stands at a predetermined angle of inclination and which presses said towing hook down as soon as this angle of inclination is exceeded in the direction of said stretched towing hawser said nose of said towing hook assuming with regard to said towing hawser a position at such an acute angle that said towing hawser is automatically unhooked from said hook by the action of its pulling force, a vertical holding arm at each end of said safety bow, guide cheeks on the tug boat for guiding said holding arms, a rack at the upper end of each holding arm, a transverse axle, a crank handle for rotating said axle, and two pinions keyed on said axle and gearing with said racks for raising and lowering said safety bow in order to adjust the same with regard to said guide bow in vertical position.

3. A towing device on tug-boats with safety device against capsizing, comprising in combination with a towing bow, a towing hawser, a guiding how, a towing hook having a nose which extendsin a straight line, a safety bow adjustably arranged above said guide bow and curved in accordance with the horizontal path of movement of said towing hook and designed to press upon said towing hook if the tug-boat stands at a predetermined angle of inclination and which presses said towinghook down as soon as this angle of inclination is exceeded inthe direction of said stretched towing hawser taid nose ofsaid towing hook assuming with regard to said towing'hawser a position at such an acute angle that said towing hawser is automatically unhooked from said hook by the action of its pulling force, a vertical holding arm at each end of said safety bow, said holding arms having each longitudinal slots of conical cross section, guide checks on the tug-boat for guiding said holding arms, a rack at the upper end of each holding arm, a transverse axle, a crank handle for rotating said axle, and two pinions keyed on said axle and gearing with said racks for raising and lowering said safety bow in order to adjust the same with regard to said guide how in vertical position, and fixing screws having conical ends screwed into said guide cheeks to engage with and to be wedged into said longitudinal slots of said holding arms for securely fixing said holding arms and through the same said safety bow in the adjusted position.

4. A towing 'device on tug-boats with safety device against capsizing, comprising in combination with a towing bow having a longitudinal groove, a towing hawser, a guiding bow, a towing hook having a nose which extends in a straight line, a safety bow adjustably arranged above said guide how and curved in accordance with the horizontal path of movement of said towing hook and designed to press upon said towing hook if the tug-boat stands at a predetermined angle of inclination and which presses said towing hook down as soon as this angle of inclination is exceeded in the direction of said stretched towing hawser said nose of said towing hook assuming with regard to said towing hawser a position at such an acute angle that said towing hawser is automatically unhooked from said hook by the action of its pulling force, a vertical holding arm at each end of said safety bow, said holding arms having each longitudinal slots of conical cross section, guide checks on the tug-boat for guiding said holding arms, a rack at the upper end of each holding arm, a transverse axle, a crank handle for rotating said axle, and two pinions keyed on said axle and gearing with said racks for raising and lowering said safety bow in order to adjust the same with regard to said guide bow in vertical position, fixing screws having conical ends screwed into saidguide cheeks to engage with and to be wedged into said longitudinal slots of said holding arms for securely fixing said holding arms and through the same said safety bow in the adjusted position, an

IHH

angle-meter on the eye of said towing hook cooperating with said longitudinal groove in said towing bow, a graduation at the side of one of said holding arms, and a hand on said holding arm for indicating on said graduation the actual distance between said safety bow and said guide bow with regard to the degrees of the angle of the towing hawser said degrees being indicated by said angle-meter and said longitudinal groove 1 of said towing bow.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

THEODOR KLUVER. 

